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I have one now, that I mostly keep around for folks who come over and want to play but can't play a 5 string.
I went about 18 years without having a single 4 string around, and only missed it when someone else wanted one to play.
I switched to a 5 in 2009. I was one of those "rabid" 4 players. At first it felt weird. And I played a lot of wrong notes. Then I started to really appreciate the depth a 5 can bring to the table and how nice the wider neck felt in my hands. I've got long fingers and it just feels better to me. In fact I recently discovered wide neck 5s. Like Laklands, MTDs, DeArmond Pilots (like a runway wide), Pro Tone Squiers, Special Ps and Squier Active Js....and Pedullas! I own 9 basses and 8 of them are 5s and the majority are wides. 2inch or close to it nuts and 19mm spacing...just like a 4 but with the right number of strings. I have one 4 string. A 1989 Dixon P copy. It was my first bass, and it's actually a really good playing bass too, so I've kept it for numerous reasons despite selling it to a friend for 15 years and getting it back. It's the only 4 I have any interest in. Occasionally I will gig it out of nostalgia or on a special song in standard tuning since we play tuned down. That bass has a thick neck too. Especially for a 4. To me? Most 4s feel wimpy and thin....they cramp my hands and don't allow me the comfort a 5 (especially a wide one) gives me. Not to mention the lack of tonal depth a 4 has. But to be fair...I don't even like most 5s necks. I find them crowded and difficult to play. This is actually a blessing in that I am not tempted anymore to buy any old 5er like I used to do until I met the Homerwrecker (Pro Tone V). The rest of them feel like 4 string necks with 5 strings on them and I dig in too much to play them accurately.
On the subject of 4s though, I'd keep it if you have and sentimental value to it. If not, kick it to the curb and get another 5 for a backup. You will use it more.
The last line in my signature says it all.
Real basses have 5 strings, but no more than 5!
On the subject of 4s though, I'd keep it if you have and sentimental value to it. If not, kick it to the curb and get another 5 for a backup. You will use it more.
The last line in my signature says it all.
Real basses have 5 strings, but no more than 5!
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That's the body part that gets to movin' in the crowd when you play bass!
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I sold ALL of my 4 string basses ... this included some very collectable 60s and 70s Rickenbackers
Now my problem is I really like 6 string basses ...
I call a bass not because of its string count, but by how the owner chooses to use it.
I don't have any cute sayings about the alphabet or numbers of wiring hanging across the fretboard.
I have all 5-strings.
But I need to pick up a 4-string Precision and a 4-string Jazz. Why? Not to play, but to rent!
Lately, because of my production contacts, I have several calls a year to rent basses. These two are always requested. Nothing wrong with having two basses I wouldn't normally play, but to keep in great shape for a player needing a rental instrument.
I don't have any cute sayings about the alphabet or numbers of wiring hanging across the fretboard.
I have all 5-strings.
But I need to pick up a 4-string Precision and a 4-string Jazz. Why? Not to play, but to rent!
Lately, because of my production contacts, I have several calls a year to rent basses. These two are always requested. Nothing wrong with having two basses I wouldn't normally play, but to keep in great shape for a player needing a rental instrument.
This is funny...People often ask to sit in with us at these weddings...and we usually don't allow it because then it becomes a free for all. But here's what I just thought about. No one has ever asked if they could play bass on a song. Hmm...maybe the 4 string guys are put off by it....cause I know some 4 string guys look at a 5 like it's some kind of alien instrument from the other side of the galaxy and they can't wrap their head around that extra string. I kind of like that in that situation because I don't dig just anyone playing my stuff. Especially strangers. Most 4 string guys run in terror from that DeArmond. 2 inch nut and 35" scale!
It's weird, I am kind of the opposite to most people in the thread. I played a 5 exclusively throughout high school and when I studied bass in college. But as soon as I got out of school and lost interest in contemporary music, all I play is 4's, When your guitarists are playing in drop tuning as much as mine do, changing fingerings is a pain in the ass.
So now I have a bunch a 4's for different tunings lol.
So now I have a bunch a 4's for different tunings lol.
So the next time someone says, "4 strings is all you need" we should say....
"Bass starts with B, not E. If you take the B off, all you are left with is ass..." I can't wait to use that....
I'm honestly a lifelong five-string player - started playing one in '84 or '85 before they were mainstream. These days, almost all the producers, artists, bandleaders, and decision makers that write checks out to me loathe five-strings and boutique basses of any kind, so I just play a P-Bass with them. This isn't a situation unique to me, so I think it pays to keep at least one four around.
Ultimately, I look at the bass as a role, not defined by brand, type, or style of instrument, so I play them all, keyboard bass included.
Ultimately, I look at the bass as a role, not defined by brand, type, or style of instrument, so I play them all, keyboard bass included.
I agree that this is a good reason to play a 4. Drop D with a lot of open riffs is a lot easier to play with E tuned to D for sure than attempting that with your digit on fret 3 every time.
I sat in for a one time gig for a music festival as bass player. 80s band. When I got there, the drummer is like "ugh...hmm...five string" and looked like he wasn't pleased. I'm guessing cause that wasn't really a common thing in the music they play and they dress the part too. I told him real basses had 5 strings and if he wanted me to play accurately that it would have to be that way. Ended the discussion.
That is why I sold my 60's Grecco violin bass. Wasn't playing it since I had bought a jazz bass (which has also since been sold) and an x girlfriend bought it for me anyways so I figured why keep it around in a closet? Someone might want to play it. I don't get very sentimental about most things, however I don't think I will ever sell my 2012 MIA P bass Deluxe or my upright because for some reason I am attached to them, those took lots of hard work to pay for, and are harder to replace.
I also frequently find myself GASsing for electric basses even though I rarely need to play more than the one 4 banger I still own... I think it's easier to GAS for EBGs since the cost of a decent cheap ply UB is equal to buying a really nice EBG so shopping for Uprights is a bit depressing (since I'll likely never have more than 2k to spend on a bass and even that has been a rare and lucky occurrence)
You should make a 6 string Rick and really annoy the purists out there.
With all due respect, what's the point of moving to a 4 string to accommodate drop D tuning? What's the point of playing a 5er then?
Hobbyist here. Started on a 4 string 15 years ago and moved to a 5er 3 years later. Sold my 4s then and there. Have never had any use for a 4 since, as whatever I can play on a 4 I can do on a 5. I won't keep a bass around if it isn't played.
Vocal bass tessitura (where the voice can be projected) is from E2 to E4 hence why the bass instrument is tuned to a low E, that is the reference point. But modern concert pitch at A4=440Hz is off the mark.. The bass and most baritone voices start transitioning (early register shift) when pitch for A4 is higher than ~433Hz. Hence a more correct pitch for A4 is 432Hz and not 440hz.
The second passaggio (~C4) becomes very difficult for the basso profundo with A4 at modern 440Hz as some orcehsters using the even sharper 443Hz.
A4=435Hz with 12-TET is the upper limit in regards to gaining something resembling the true color of those dramatic deep voices and having a passaggio that they can work with.. and also the reason why this was chosen as the concert pitch in 1859 in France by a large panel of composers..
The use of 443Hz in modern symphony orchesters has limited the numbers of great dramatic voices in opera..
Imagine Adele trying to sing her hits at A4=443Hz live in the same key as the studio recorded version.. She would fail to sound good.. This goes for Bruno Mars who is at the limit at 440Hz.. It is the same with opera.. High modern pitch at 442-443Hz has limited the popularity of opera.. Even a pitch like A4=437Hz is much easier to balance than 440Hz..
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